Lorry driver killed in horror smash named

A LORRY driver killed on the M56 this week has been named as 46-year-old Ian Smith, known affectionately as ‘Uncle Fester’.

He died on Tuesday morning after his heavy goods vehicle crashed through a barrier at the Weaver Viaduct near junction 12 at around 10.15am.

Firefighters fought to release him from the cab but paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

An inquest into Mr Smith’s death was opened and adjourned by Cheshire’s coroner yesterday afternoon.

The family of Mr Smith, who lives in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, released a tribute to him in the form of a montage of photographs and a poem.

It features a lorry climbing a ‘highway to heaven’ as well as the words “RIP Uncle Fester” and “I love you”.

The poem reads: “Those special memories of you will always bring a smile; If only I could have you back for just a little while; Then we could sit and talk again, just like we used to do; You always meant so very much, and always will do too; The fact that you’re no longer here will always cause me pain; But you’re forever in my heart, until we meet again.”

One of Mr Smith’s last posts on his Facebook page, dated March 21, 2012, simply reads: “Hi everyone. Hope your lives are as good as mine xxx.”

Police have renewed an appeal for witnesses or anyone with information about the accident to contact them.

A spokesman said: “Police continue to appeal to anyone who may have witnessed the collision, and not yet made contact with police, to call the non-emergency number 101, quoting incident number 211 of 12/08/2014.”